


The Two Kings

by EmeraldViolets



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Rivalry, Tournaments, Volleyball
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:48:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26483695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldViolets/pseuds/EmeraldViolets
Summary: Determined to not let history repeat itself after Karasuno's loss to Aoba Johsai at the Inter-High Preliminaries, Tobio Kageyama attends a training camp for the best in his prefecture hoping to hone his skills before the next tournament. However, he gets more than he bargained for when he's forced to face his past and old mentor, Toru Oikawa, once again.
Relationships: Kageyama Tobio & Oikawa Tooru
Kudos: 34





	The Two Kings

The gym at Shiratorizawa was unlike any facility Kageyama had seen before. At least, it was far different from the one he was used to practicing in at Karasuno.

Kageyama noted just how amazing the entire Shiratorizawa campus was. The realization annoyed him more than he liked to admit. Of course, this training camp would be held at the one school that had rejected him. However, he pushed those feelings aside, giving in to his growing anticipation at the prospect of getting to practice volleyball again.

Ever since his team's loss against Oikawa and Aoba Johsai at the Inter-High Preliminaries, Kageyama had been more determined than ever to get better. The next time Karasuno faced Aoba Johsai, they would win, he was sure of it.

He was more aware than ever that being invited to this camp was a big deal. He’d received a chance that none of his other teammates had; the opportunity to play against the best players in their prefecture before the Spring High Representative Playoffs. This was his chance to gather some important information on his opponents for his team before they headed to the summer training camp in Tokyo.

The double doors at the front of the gym were open, allowing Kageyama to spot some familiar faces already warming up inside. He followed suit, stepping up and onto the polished, wooden court. A familiar rush hit him as he glanced around at the other players stretching and passing balls back and forth. His fingers flexed instinctively at the sight.

He spied Shiratorizawa’s ace, Ushijima, on the side speaking with Coach Washijo. The guess monster himself, Tendou, also lounged about, his eyes narrowed in his normal, suspicious-looking fashion. 

Kageyama scanned a few of the other players, but he suddenly tensed when his gaze landed on an all too familiar face. His old mentor, Oikawa Toru, stood before him, ball in hand. In the next moment, their eyes locked and Kageyama resisted the urge to flinch.

His team’s loss to Oikawa’s was still fresh in his mind and just the sight of Oikawa stirred something inside of him. 

“Well, well, well, Tobio-chan,” Oikawa said, a small smirk playing on his lips. “I should have expected to see you here, but what’s this? All alone? Where’s Shortie Pie?”

Kageyama didn’t respond, just scowled slightly, feeling annoyed by the words spoken to him. He could see Iwazumi eyeing them from a few paces away. He wasn’t sure why none of his teammates had been invited to the training camp alongside him. However, he couldn’t focus on them at the moment.

“Too bad, it would have been fun to beat all of you again,” Oikawa taunted, twirling the volleyball in his hand on his fingertips. “Looks like I’ll have to settle for crushing you.”

Kageyama’s eyes narrowed. “ We’ll see.”

With that, he turned on his heels and went to warm up, a fire within him having been reignited.

The beginning of training camp went by normally, with the coaches sending the players through multiple different drills. Soon they began a practice match, Kageyama being appointed the setter for one side and Oikawa for the other. 

Kageyama didn’t know if he felt the intense need to prove himself to everyone there or to himself, but as soon as the match started, he was in the zone. His sets were flawless, earning praise from the hitters that flanked him. However, Oikawa played with just as much skill and poise. The only difference was that after each set, Oikawa would check in with each of his hitters. “Nice kill! How was that set?” he’d ask, taking each of his teammates’ critiques and preferences into consideration.

In contrast, Kageyama wasn’t great at communicating. He tended to put the ball up the way he felt was easiest for the hitter to spike, which with his skill wasn’t too detrimental, but it was a technique that hardly allowed the hitter to reach their full potential. 

As the match went on, Kageyama felt his pace pick up. He hadn’t meant for it to happen, but when he got in the zone, everything else seemed to fade away. His sets became faster and faster. Even though the ball felt good coming off his fingertips, he barely noticed it was becoming increasingly difficult for his hitters to keep up. Finally, one of his sets went up too fast and his wing spiker whiffed the ball, missing it. This knocked some sense back into Kageyama.

“Looks like you haven’t quite given up your tyrannical reign, Tobio-chan.” Oikawa’s voice came from the other side of the net. Kageyama threw him some side-eye, noticing the annoying smirk on his face.

Shaking off his mistake, Kageyama turned to the hitter. “Sorry, that was my bad. I’ll slow it down.”

Maybe he’d gotten so used to setting for Hinata. Or maybe he was just falling into his old bad habits. Either way, Kageyama knew something had to change.

The match came to an end, each team managing to win a set here and there. However, though he’d managed to adjust his setting by the end, Kageyama wasn’t completely satisfied with his performance. But he would work on it. He’d get better and become the best setter he could be. His determination would never waver.

“Alright, we’ll do one more exercise for the day,” the training coach announced, corralling the players. “We’re going to be doing two-on-two drills, so listen up for your teams.”

The coach began to call out pairings, and Kageyama waited for his name. He figured it didn’t matter who his partner was. He would play his hardest and secure victory for them.

“Ok, next pairing is Kageyama,” the coach began and Kageyama’s ears perked up at the mention of his name. “And Oikawa.”

Kageyama almost felt his soul leave his body. Glancing at Oikawa, he could see that Oikawa was also less than thrilled to be paired with him. However, a thought suddenly struck him. Perhaps this would be a good opportunity for him to study his old mentor up close.

The coach instructed them to get into their groups and prepare for the first matchups. Oikawa scowled at Kageyama as he approached him.

“Just try to keep up and don’t get in my way,” Oikawa said, narrowing his eyes before brushing past him. 

Anger surged within Kageyama at Oikawa’s words. However, he bit back a retort and followed after his new teammate. All he could do was to focus on the task at hand and play his best, even if it had to be alongside someone as infuriating as Oikawa Toru.

Soon Kageyama found himself standing on the court with Oikawa a few paces to his side. It was true that individually they were both great players, but he wasn’t sure how well they would work together. There was an obvious absence of communication between them as they awaited the start of the game in complete silence.

Their opponents were the first to serve, so Kageyama took a step back on the court, bending his knees slightly to ready himself for the receive. To his left, Oikawa mirrored his actions, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he gazed across to the other side of the net, awaiting the serve. No words were spoken between them, and Kageyama did not spare a glance in Oikawa’s direction. 

In the next moment, their opponent stepped up to the line, tossing the ball high in the air and smacking it hard, sending it soaring over the net. Kageyama was ready for it, knowing the ball was headed for his left. He turned his body, leaning forward to go for the ball, his arms outstretched. However, Oikawa seemed to have the same idea. He had also turned, his body angled right, heading for the ball. Spotting this, Kageyama stopped short to avoid a collision. Oikawa did the same, and they were left standing there, watching the ball hit the ground between them, earning the other team a point.

“Make sure you call for the ball!” One of the coaches yelled to them, snapping Kageyama out of his shameful daze. He looked up to meet Oikawa’s eyes and they stared at each other for a moment. Nothing was said, but a message was received.

Luckily, in the next play they were able to pull things together. Kageyama managed to get the receive, sending it perfectly to where Oikawa now stood ready to set. 

Oikawa’s set was nearly perfect, arching high, giving Kageyama just enough time to make a flawless approach and smack the ball down for a kill.

“Well?” Oikawa’s voice came once Kageyama recovered from his jump. He looked at Oikawa, confused by the question. “How was that set?” Oikawa asked, annoyance clear in his tone.

Kageyama was shocked that he was asking his opinion on the matter, but then realization set in; a good setter would ask no matter who the teammate was.

“I prefer it a little closer to the net,” he replied.

Oikawa scowled a bit at his words, but spoke earnestly, “Alright then.”

Without another word, the boys made their way back to the starting position, this time with Oikawa stepping up to serve. His serve was ruthless, to say the least. Even Kageyama had to admit that the power behind it was impressive. A service ace earned them their next point, and a smirk grew on Oikawa’s face at his success. However, their opponents were able to stop his next serve, leading into a bump-set-spike back to their side of the court. Oikawa was slightly off balance as he received the ball, but he managed to direct it towards the setter’s spot. Now it was Kageyama’s turn to show off his skills and he was ready. His fingers expertly maneuvered the ball in the air, setting it right into the palm of Oikawa’s hand. He smacked the ball down forcefully past the opposing blocker, earning them another point.

Kageyama grinned to himself before becoming serious again as he began heading back to his starting position. However, a thought stopped him.

Taking a page from Oikawa’s book, he turned to him and asked, “How was that?”

Oikawa raised an eyebrow at his question, pondering for a moment.

“Not every set has to be freakishly quick. You can slow it down,” he said before picking up the volleyball and heading to the service line. 

Kageyama watched him go, letting his words sink in. Oikawa hadn’t told him anything he didn’t already know, but still, it felt different hearing it straight from his former mentor.

It didn’t take long for the pair to begin working in tandem, though with no shortage of glares or critiques shared between them. Despite that, as a team, they were almost unbeatable. Even with a slow start, they managed to pull off several victories throughout the rest of the training camp.

Kageyama saw a different side of Oikawa, one that only made him want to grow stronger. He knew that he was a good setter, but Oikawa had qualities that he didn’t possess. His ability to cater to his hitters and bring out the best in them was something Kageyama could now see plain as day, and something he would never forget again.

“Thank you all for a great day of training. We hope you’ll take what you learned here and bring it back to your teams,” the coach announced, signaling the end of the day and the training camp. “See you all at the Spring High Representative Playoffs.”

The players began to disperse, with Kageyama following suit and gathering his belongings. He found himself a few paces away from Oikawa who was also packing up his stuff. Their eyes met for a moment, a comfortable silence falling between them.

Straightening up, Oikawa spoke, “I’m disappointed I didn’t get much of a chance to crush you today, Tobio-chan, but, well,” he paused. “I suppose you weren’t a completely awful teammate.”

Oikawa slung his bag over his shoulder and began to leave the gym, not giving a second glance back. Kageyama was stunned for a moment, but recovered from the sudden compliment and stood up swiftly.

“Hey,” he called out to Oikawa, making him stop in his tracks and look back over his shoulder. 

“The next time we play against you, we’re going to win,” Kageyama said with conviction.

A small smirk played on Oikawa’s lips and he narrowed his eyes. “We’ll see,” he said before tearing his gaze away from Kageyama. “But I look forward to the challenge.”

With that, Oikawa headed out of the gym, opening the doors and disappearing off into the dying light of the evening sun. Watching him go, a similar smirk appeared on Kageyama’s face.

He supposed that if Oikawa wanted the title of king, he could have it. Kageyama was no longer a king. He knew he wouldn’t be alone on the court and because of that, he wanted not just himself, but his team to win. It wasn’t about beating Oikawa. It was about beating Aoba Johsai. Defeating them wasn’t just a form of payback for him, but the whole Karasuno team.

Grabbing his bag, Kageyama stepped out of the gym. As he left, he felt the familiar flame within him, the one he’d ignited earlier, burning a little brighter. He knew that he and his team would be ready for the next tournament.


End file.
